Metal spraying is the process of spraying molten metal onto a surface to form a coating. This is achieved by melting either pure or alloyed metals in a flame. The molten metal is then subjected to a blast of compressed air which has the joint effect of creating tiny droplets of metal and projecting them towards the surface to be coated.
The end result is a solid metal coating on the surface to be treated. The thickness of the coating is dictated by the number of layers applied.
Metal spraying is a long-standing method for applying sacrificial coatings with either zinc or aluminium being sprayed. Aluminium forms a good, hard barrier but sometimes goes passive in mildly corrosive conditions but Zinc forms a very poor barrier to erosion or mechanical damage but almost always behaves sacrificially.
ARCTEC is a new alloy wire which has the same corrosion resistance as pure Aluminium but which is also extremely hard wearing. This means that ARCTEC can be applied as a rough, uneven coating that is non-slip in nature. The high degree of wear resistance ensures that the non-slip properties remain for a long time after the initial preparation.
There are many applications where a high degree of friction is desirable, ARCTEC spray has the advantage that it is supplied as a solid, homogenous wire and the properties of the wire are passed to the sprayed layer. It will not delaminate, even under aggressive corrosive conditions.
ARCTEC makes metal spraying an ideal solution for corrosion protection of steel surfaces such as tread plates, steps, walkways, ship decks and many others whilst providing the safety of a non-slip surface.